There is nothing like learning a language with good music that inspires not only children but also grown ups. This is what I feel when I listen to the “Here from There” music CD, that the songs are suitable for any age.
This CD is filled with 10 songs that would enrich just about any curriculum and can bring joy to any home. Some of the songs are in English, some are in Spanish, and some are bilingual.
Nathalia is completely bilingual — a major plus when looking for songs to teach a language to children. She also brings alive many rhythms from Colombia, especially from the coast. One of my favorite songs is called “Mi Carrito” (My Little Car) which literally will make you feel that you are in El Carnaval de Barranquilla, and you will feel transported straight to the festivities.
Nathalia is orginally from Colombia and is an experienced musician who graduated from Boston’s Berklee College of Music. Her CD clearly reflects her love for music and children. You can learn more about Nathalia on her website “More Than Música” and stay connected with her on Facebook.
Want This Awesome Music CD? A lucky reader will get to have this music CD and bring the party and learning home.The winner will be announced on my blog on June 7th, 2013.
A review to share with you, and a giveaway (read on to learn more about the giveaway!)
Music with Sara is at it again. Sara´s sweet voice and her music album called “Canciones en Español“ is all you need in order to welcome la primavera into your classroom. It’s a collection of 15 songs that will add richness and wonder to any Spanish class.
My favorite song on this album is called “La Llorona,” a traditional song from Mexico. Sara did a beautiful job keeping this song simple for young children, still preserving the richness of the Mexican music – not an easy feat but oh so important for the use of music in teaching and learning. Another fantastic song is “Mi Cuerpo.” Her version is very lively and catchy and gets everyone up and dancing in class. My students’ favorite is “Patito Patito” which is short and fun – plus there is a nice video that goes along with the song
Sara also created a video for the song “Te Quiero Mamá” that has some awesome animation.
“Canciones en Español” is a music collection that will bring a lot of fun to your classes while you celebrate and welcome the arrival of spring. To learn more about Sara and her music, please visit her website www.musicwithsara.com
The Giveaway
I am so happy to share this opportunity with you! Two lucky readers will to get this awesome music from Sara to play at home or in their classrooms.
Would you like this set of songs for your own classes? Just enter below for a chance to win. You have until March 30th, 2013!
ABC en Español is a website created by Lauren Peacock, a Spanish teacher who writes her own songs and makes her own videos that go along with her songs. She has a great collection of resources for teachers to use with their students. To learn more about her teaching resources, visit www.abcenespanol.net.
I always love bringing literature to support my lessons during the middle of a unit or to end a unit. I have found it difficult to find books that are well written in English and Spanish. Sometimes the translations are not very relevant to the original text in Spanish which makes it lose flavor when reading in class. These books are well written in both languages and the author, Adriana Pacheco, wrote both the Spanish and English versions.
The stories in each book are simple and easy to understand. The colorful illustrations represent accurately what is being expressed in the text and place the readers in the settings of the story. Many of the characters make multiple appearances in various stories, helping readers become more familiar with them, and many of the situations are very relevant to the day to day life of young learners. Each book includes a CD, and these are perfect to support listening skills in Spanish and English. What’s best, the speakers in the CD’s are native with very clear pronunciation! In each CD you will find the stories read in Spanish and English with time for the children to read along with the speaker. Even though these books are bilingual, the languages are not mixed together in sentences, a major bonus that is too often ignored by teachers and curriculum developers who think that a child needs immediate translation, forgetting that a young language learner’s mind is very different than their own! I love the idea of having bilingual books with audio because it is a tool that children who are learning or exploring the language can take home to invite their parents into their process of learning a new language.
2. Share the love with other friends! Let them know about Fun for Spanish Teachers andHeritage Language Booksand encourage them to join as fans of each of our sites. 3. Stay tuned and check back often! The winner will be announced on July 21st, 2012. You will have 24 hours to contact me to claim your prize.
4. The book will be sent as soon as you contact me with delivery details.
5. Enjoy reading and exploring the wonderful world of language learning!
Technology has become a great teaching tool that goes hand in hand with language learning. You often hear that language educators are using Skype, interactive boards, Google Earth to take virtual trips, and many more kinds of technology to support their curriculum.
I recently came across Noyo, a very colorful app that has vocabulary to support a variety of themes. It contains 8 units: los viajes (trips), la comida (food), los deportes (sports), la ciudad (the city), la casa (house), los animales (animals), la estaciones (seasons) and la escuela (school). It has over 1200 words and about 200 scenes. The pictures are very clear and get one’s attention while making it very engaging for children. Another great feature is that the voice that goes with every picture was recorded by a native speaker.
This app can be downloaded in iPads and Android tables, and if you are lucky you can plug your device into an interactive board to screen the game with the whole class.
How to Use This App
This app can be used to introduce or review vocabulary. Choose one of the units and ask your students to show the vocabulary they already know. This way you are using their previous knowledge of the language. Ask the children to tap the picture after they name it. If they don’t know the word, they can take guesses and tap on the pictures to hear the right answer.
You can put the vocabulary into context by creating sentences. Say a sentence and have the children tap what they hear. For example:
La manzana es roja.
Me gusta comer la manzana roja.
Play a guessing game: Ask a volunteer to close his/her eyes. Point at one of the pictures and have the volunteer guess.
Play the “Veo, veo, ¿qué ves?” (see, see, what do you see?) game: Teach the game first.
Class: Veo, veo (I see, I see)
Student: ¿Qué ves? (What do you see?)
Class: Una cosita (A little thing)
Student: ¿Dé que color es? (What color is it?)
Class: Rojo (Red – or any other color)
Student: La manzana (apple) – then the student taps the right answer.
Play charades: This is a great opportunity to bring TPR (Total Physical Response) alive! Teach gestures to go along with each picture in one of the units. Invite a volunteer to show the gestures and another volunteer to guess by saying the word and showing it on the app.
This app also has an assessment feature for each unit which can be used at any time. If your students are very young or just learning how to read you can read the sentences aloud for them to choose the right answer. For children who are in older grades, they can take turns reading the sentences and choosing the right answer. It will also show you a score at the end of the assessment.
If you are looking for a fun application to either bring technology to your class or recommend to the families at your school who are looking for resources to support your curriculum, this is a great app to recommend.
OUR GIVEAWAY: Two Codes to Download Noyo to Your iPad or Android Tablet!
I was very excited when I received Sara’s music CD, “Más canciones en español.” My excitement took on a life of its own when I listened to her songs. What a sweet and lovely voice! It’s very nice to discover a new artist with a young voice and music that promote a fun learning environment while also teaching culture. Every day I realize there is so much talent out there 🙂 Many of the songs on Sara’s CD are traditional and bring alive diverse Mexican rhythms. Even better, this music CD is suitable for children who are just learning Spanish as a second language and children who are growing up in a bilingual environment. What a great teaching tool to have in Spanish class or at home!
One of my favorite songs is “El Dragón” which is very short and provides a lot of repetition that makes it easy to teach. Another one that is a fave – not only in my casa, but also in my classes – is “Los Pollitos.” Sara did a very nice job making this song enjoyable, inspiring children ask for it in every Spanish class.
I can’t forget to mention that my heart jumped for joy when I heard her version of one of the most beautiful traditional Andean songs in existence,“Carnavalito Humauaqueño.” This song is a “must have.” As with many of her songs, this one promotes culture and is perfect to support a unit about the Andes region. Plus, it will really get your students jumping!
This music CD is a treasure. I highly recommend it to parents and educators who are in search of beautiful songs that teach and promote cultural understanding. I am sure you will love it as much as my students and I do!
